


Punch Line

by Waldo



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Gen, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-28
Updated: 2009-03-28
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waldo/pseuds/Waldo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony didn't want Gibbs to know what had led to Special Agent Morris Ford needing an emergency trip to the dentist to see if two teeth could be reimplanted. </p>
            </blockquote>





	Punch Line

**Author's Note:**

> I've listed this as gen because it can be read that way. In my head, it was a bit of Gibbs/DiNozzo too... so wear your slash goggles, or not, as you like.

Gibbs slammed the form down on Tony's desk causing Tony to jump. "Want to explain this?"

Tony slowly looked up. "Uh… yeah, that…" He screwed up his face. That stupid little ass had actually reported him. "Look, if you're asking if I did it, yes, I hit him. He had no fucking business talking about another agent that way. So whatever consequence you have for me, I'll deal." He looked back at the computer. He'd hit Ford again in a heartbeat if he ever ran off at the mouth like he had that morning in the breakroom.

Gibbs squinted at him, trying to decide why Tony wasn't trying to justify hitting another agent. "Damn straight you will."

Tony rolled his eyes, catching Ziva leveling him with an unreadable look. In some ways he wished he was sorry for decking the idiot, but he wasn't. Whatever Gibbs did to him was fine. Bastard had it coming. "I'm going to down to see if Abby has that final ballistic report yet so we can close out the case." He needed to get away from two sets eyes boring into him and the fact that McGee was so studiously _not_ looking at him.

Great. The last thing he needed was McGee giving Gibbs the finer points of the whole damn dust up.

He escaped to the elevator before anyone could say anything else, flexing his hand gingerly. Maybe after seeing Abby he should have Ducky look at his knuckles.

Gibbs turned his glare on McGee who was typing furiously, though Gibbs didn't have any idea what he could be working on. They'd closed the Hatcher case yesterday and all the paperwork had been in last night. He snatched the form back off DiNozzo's desk and read over it again, eyes narrowing as he read.

He crossed silently from Tony's desk to stand directly behind McGee's monitor. McGee tried to ignore him, but eventually the frantic typing slowed to a peck and finally McGee looked up.

"Boss?"

"Get me the security camera footage of this. I want to see what happened before I nail DiNozzo's hide to the wall." Gibbs took a post-it pad off McGee's desk and wrote the specific location and time and then slapped the sticky-note on the monitor.

McGee grabbed the yellow paper and let out a sigh, not sure how far he wanted to wade into this. He'd have been happy to give Gibbs the footage if Tony had made the least show of defending or explaining himself, but obviously Tony didn't want Gibbs to know what had led to Special Agent Morris Ford needing an emergency trip to the dentist to see if two teeth could be reimplanted.

"You know, Gibbs, I'm not sure –"

"You're not sure of what, McGee? If I'm still the boss?" Gibbs barked.

"No, that wasn't what I was going to say at all. It's just that… Well, I was there, and… and…" McGee was pretty sure he hadn't stammered that much since he was stationed in Norfolk and Tony and Gibbs still actually scared him.

"And _what_ McGee?!" Gibbs was clearly at the end of his, admittedly limited, patience.

Tim scooted back, both to get out of immediate smacking range and to reach the printer. "And this is my report on the incident," he finally finished. "Boss, Tony wasn't responding to someone insulting _him_."

Gibbs snatched the form from McGee and turned back to his desk. "I want that footage."

Gibbs threw himself into his desk chair and began scanning Tim's write-up. It was couched in very civil, very vague terms that made it clear that Tony was defending a teammate, not himself, but didn't shed any further light on what exactly the fight had been about. Gibbs took a long pull of his coffee and several deep breaths. Tony was an ass about inconsequential things. But when it came to his team… he took them very seriously. He knew he could count on Tony having not only his own six, but McGee's, Ziva's, Ducky's and Abby's as well. Hell, any agent NCIS had could count on Tony. Gibbs suspected that even Ford could still depend on him in a firefight. Though Gibbs didn't give the guy odds if he ever ran into Tony in a dark alley.

He took the report Vance had sent down and the one that McGee had just given him and crossed back to McGee's desk. "Ford harassing you, Tim?" Gibbs asked quietly. He'd let Tony tease McGee into not being fazed by much any more, but Gibbs had to admit, if anyone on his team could be considered a target, Tim would be it.

"Me, boss? No. Not me." McGee seemed grateful for the excuse to look away when his computer pinged. He removed the DVD and grabbed something else from his top drawer and handed both to Gibbs.

Gibbs unwrapped the wire and squinted at what he saw.

"Trust me. Use the headphones," McGee said, looking distinctly paler than he had that morning. Gibbs got the impression that this was going to be bad and that somehow McGee was actually afraid of what would happen once Gibbs saw the surveillance.

Sick of the mysteries, Gibbs went back to his desk. He loaded the disk and plugged in the headphones, holding one of the buds to his ear.

He hit play and sat back.

 

When the six-minute video was over, Gibbs grabbed his jacket and stormed out of the bullpen.

"So," Ziva asked from her desk, "how much trouble is Tony in?"

"Ziva, do not get involved in this. You have no idea what I would give to not be involved in this." Tim mumbled.

 

"DiNozzo, with me," Gibbs barked as he stuck his head in Abby's lab. He didn't stop as he turned back to the elevator knowing that Tony knew to be in it before the doors closed.

Tony didn't disappoint and Gibbs punched the button for the garage. Neither spoke until Gibbs had driven for over an hour and they were out in the middle of some National Park.

"Look, boss, if you're looking for somewhere to dump my body…"

Gibbs pulled over to the side of the gravel road and threw the car into park. "Don't you ever put your job on the line like that again." He still stared out the window, unable to look at Tony.

"I can't promise that, Gibbs," Tony said quietly. "He wants to make cracks about Diane or Stephanie… you know, whatever. _You_ make cracks about _them_." He paused.  "No one is going to make light of Shannon and Kelly's deaths in front of me. I'm not sorry I knocked his teeth out."

Tony crossed his arms and slumped in his seat, hoping Gibbs wasn't actually pissed at him, but unable to read him.

Gibbs turned to look out the driver's side window, hoping DiNozzo wasn't astute enough to notice the tears gathering in his eyes in the reflection. After all the shit he'd put Tony through, he couldn't imagine what it was that had engendered that kind of devotion. He wondered if he'd ever be able to pay him back.


End file.
